New 40th Street Skatepark Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Announced

NEWS

Local skaters try out the new skatepark on Wednesday at 40th Street Park. Photo by Deann Armes / The Ogdenite

Life just got better for a lot of South Ogden residents. Years after local youth lobbied at city council meetings for a skatepark, securing funds, public surveys and plan revisions, the highly anticipated new 40th Street Skatepark is almost complete. A ribbon-cutting ceremony with Mayor Russ Porter and the Ogden-Weber Chamber of Commerce is planned for Thursday, Oct. 3 at 4 p.m.

Advocates from Crossroads Skateshop, Utah Skatepark Advocacy Group, Draganboards & Spohn Ranch will be in attendance, and there will be swag and giveaways while supplies last.

South Ogden City issued a public statement on Thursday: “During its current soft opening, it may still be closed on a day-to-day basis as we prepare for all the finishing touches and the official ribbon-cutting event.”

The signs are yet to go up and the landscaping isn’t finished, but as of Wednesday it was filled with skaters.

Tanner McCormack, a local skater who publicly voted for some of its design features, is excited to try it out. “I think it came out great,” he said. “It has a good range of difficulty.”

McCormack added that anyone from beginner to a more seasoned skater will have features for them. He has frequently skated at Lorin Farr Park, where he said he’ll continue to skate because the two parks have different features. He’ll be at the 40th Street Skatepark a lot because he plays basketball at the courts there and it’s close to home.

He added, “I think it’s a great addition to the community, especially in this area. There aren’t a lot of places to skate without driving to another location. For people who may not drive that’s going to be huge to have a spot to skate where it’s accepted.”

According to the @goskateutah Instagram page that cited the final approved renderings, the intermediate level park is just under 20,000 square feet: “The bowl is a mellow 4 feet on the shallow end and 5 feet on the deep end. There are a few big ledges and a lot of lanes.”

South Ogden City wishes to thank Weber County RAMP and the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation for their contributions to the project. They ask for no skating during the ceremony.

The new skatepark is located at 40th Street Park, 3950 Adams Ave., in South Ogden.